1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a system for coating needles, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for applying a lubricant coating to surgical needles used in the medical field.
Surgical needles are used by doctors and other medical professionals to apply sutures, or stitches, by hand through a patient's skin or tissue. Typically, the sutures are used to close wounds or adjoin adjacent tissue, often at the conclusion of a surgical procedure. Coating the surgical needles with a thin layer of lubricant is done to enhance the performance of the needle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been known to apply a lubricant coating to surgical needles. The primary advantage of applying a lubricant, such as a silicone-based solution, is that it reduces friction between the needle and the tissue. This reduction of friction lessens the so-called "drag-force" of the needle passing through the tissue and reduces the pain and discomfort felt by the patient. A lower drag-force also lessens tissue trauma, or in other words, damage to the tissue caused by the needle passage. Less tissue trauma results in reduced healing time for the patient. Although surgical needles are generally disposed of after use in a given surgical procedure, an effective lubricant solution should stay on the needle for however many passes the needle makes through the tissue during its single use.
There are several well-known methods of applying a lubricant coating to surgical needles. Perhaps the most basic method is simply dipping the needles in a lubricant solution. However, this method is slow and tedious, resulting in poor production output. An updated method of applying the lubricant coating is to spray the surgical needles using an atomizer. The atomizer mixes a lubricant solution with large amounts of air and sprays, or atomizes, the surgical needles. However, spraying results in a considerable amount of wasted solution, which increases the cost. Another drawback of spraying is that the mixing of the lubricant solution with large amounts of air makes combustion of the atomized solution a genuine concern. Therefore, the dilutants to be mixed with the lubricant must be limited to non-combustible materials. Spraying can also be time consuming because, unless the needles are suspended, they can only be sprayed one side at a time.
It would be desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for applying a lubricant coating to surgical needles that did not have the drawbacks of conventional methods.